Biden, Trump approach first debate

Joe Biden and his rival Donald Trump have agreed to hold their first debate before the presidential election scheduled for November, the first on June 27, while the second debate will be on September 10 on ABC.

CNN has announced the rules for the first debate that will be held between Democratic President Joe Biden and his Republican predecessor Donald Trump as part of the 2024 US presidential election campaign, on June 27, which will last an hour and a half without an audience.

The first debate between Biden and Trump

The debate between the main candidates in the US presidential election will be held in Atlanta, in the southeastern state of Georgia, at a much earlier date than usual.

The channel had indicated in May that the debate would be held without an audience, which is what Biden prefers.

It announced on Saturday that the two candidates' campaign teams had agreed to a set of other arrangements, including the use of two identical platforms and two deactivable microphones.

The network explained that "both microphones will be muted for the duration of the debate, except for the candidate when it is his turn to speak," adding that the hosts, Jack Tapper and Dana Bash, "will use all the tools at their disposal to enforce timing and ensure a civil discussion."

The debate, which will last 90 minutes, will be interrupted twice for commercials, and the candidates will not be able to communicate with their teams during these periods.

Rules for the first debate between Biden and Trump

Pre-written notes will also be prohibited on the set, but "candidates will be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water."

It is noteworthy that in mid-May, the 81-year-old Democratic president challenged Trump, saying, "Right now he says he wants to debate me again." Biden added in a video clip, "In this case... I will do it twice."

The former US president immediately responded, "Tell me when and I will be there, it's time for battle."